Street Eats: Blu Olive

Father-and-daughter team serves farm-to-table fare from a striking truck

Father-and-daughter team serves farm-to-table fare from a striking truck

Story by Bethia Woolf

After more than a decade working in Cleveland -- her resume includes stints at Flying Fig and Lucky's -- Sarah Carmean returned to Columbus to open Blu Olive with her father, Steve Carmean.

The father-daughter operation specializes in Italian and Mediterranean cuisines, allowing Sarah to show off her impressive background in farm-to-table cooking. Meanwhile, Steve, a graphic designer by background, put his skills to use creating the eye-catching graphics that adorn the vehicle.

Where to find it:

Blu Olive is always on the move. You might spot them at Zauber Brewing one day, then at a farmers market or festival the next. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to see where they'll be next.

What to get:

You'll typically find a couple different pasta options on the menu, all made with fresh, handcrafted noodles from Ohio City Pasta in Cleveland.

Garnering rave reviews is Sarah's sublime beet-and-ricotta ravioli with poppy seed butter. Even people who swear they don't like beets love it. Its color is vibrant, but the ricotta tones down the beets' earthiness. A lovely sweetness combines with the crunch of the poppy seeds to reveal a flavor reminiscent of sweet corn.

Expect to see different ravioli fillings as the seasons change, alongside comfort food-y pasta and meatballs and other seasonal variations.

Blu Olive also offers Italian sandwiches on Eleni-Christina focaccia. On a recent visit, Sarah made a noteworthy soppressata sandwich adorned with an arugula and olive salad, pecorino and red onion.

On the side:

Side salads here are delicious. A white bean salad with roasted tomato was refreshing on a hot day, and a mixed greens salad with thinly sliced fennel and a lemony dressing was citrusy without being acidic.

What to drink:

Fittingly, this chic truck sells San Pellegrino Italian sodas in a range of flavors including blood orange, grapefruit and lemon.

Dessert!

Sarah loves to make her own ice cream, and you'll spot her latest creations on the truck's menu. A mini float made with a scoop of vanilla and blood orange soda is a perfect sweet treat to end your food truck meal.

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Bethia Woolf, owner of the tour company Columbus Food Adventures, blogs at streeteatscolumbus.com